My mom and I took a trip to France recently solely because Mom, a woman of many surprises, wanted to see the spot where Allied troops pulled off the largest amphibious invasion ever and helped turn the tide of World War II. I wanted to learn about D-Day too, but, as you might suspect, my interests in France really ran more to bottles than battles. And so, along with touring the soul-stirring beaches of Normandy, we managed to squeeze in a bit of wine tasting in the Loire Valley and Champagne region.
Along the way I learned some surprising lessons that changed my mind about wine, French and otherwise. I will now share these with you so you don’t have to invest in a trip to France. You’re welcome.
Terroir Believer
No. 1: Terroir matters. In the past I have scoffed at the notion of terroir, the idea that wine takes much of its character from the specific spot where the grapes are grown. Technicalities around climate, soil and water bore me, and really, I just want to know whether or not a wine tastes good. But in France there was no denying the importance of terroir. One area in which we tasted wines—Saumur Champigny in the Loire Valley—sits on a vast expanse of limestone. And guess what the wine tastes like? Yep, exactly like limestone. I also noted a certain chalkiness in all of the Champagnes I sampled. Come to find out, chalk is key to the terroir of Champagne grapes. So, despite my desire to remain blissfully unaware, I was forced to embrace the concept of terroir (rhymes with bear-wah).
You Can Too Afford It
No. 2: French wine doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, there are a ton of bargains out there. I always thought of wines from France as somewhat out of my league and I didn’t even bother to peruse the French wine section at my local store. Well, I was an idiot. Sure, there are expensive French wines but you can find lots of great wines in the $8-$15 range. Some of my faves include a white—2013 Domaine de Pajot Les Quatre Cepages ($8)—and a couple of reds—Chateau Teulon 2014 Costieres de Nimes ($9) and Chateau Rousselle 2011 Cotes de Bourg ($15). Bottom line is don’t be afraid that you can’t afford French wine!
Where to Site Your Wine Cellar
No. 3: Caves are cool. All over France there are miles of underground caves. The caves were created in the 3rd and 4th centuries as a result of mining for chalk and limestone used to build the fabulous chateaus littered through France. The caves are dark, cool and humid—perfect conditions for storing wine. In fact, Taittinger, a producer of Champagne, has over 23 million bottles of their wine stored in caves. Wouldn’t you want to be trapped down there for a while?
Focus Pays Off in Flavor
No. 4: I knew that Champagne is blended from three grapes (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier). But what I didn’t know is that each Champagne house (aka: champagne producer) tends to claim one grape as their focus. That means all of the Champagnes they produce use a higher percentage of that particular grape. For example, Taittinger is a Chardonnay-focused house whereas Veuve Clicquot focuses on Pinot Noir. You can definitely taste the difference in their Champagnes. Those with a Chardonnay focus are more delicate and have biscuit flavors whereas a Pinot Noir focus results in berry flavors with a bit more body.
Those are the highlights. Goes to show that the more I know about wine, the more I realize I don’t know. Which of course calls for more research.
Cheers!